Sir Martin Wood OBE FRS (pictured), inventor of the world’s first
superconducting magnet and subsequent founder of Oxford Instruments in
1959, will be awarded The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck
Ribbon by the Japanese Government at a ceremony in June.

Presenting the prestigious award on behalf of the Japanese Emperor,
the Japanese ambassador will bestow the honor in recognition of Sir
Martin’s contribution to the promotion of scientific exchange between
Japan and the U.K.

Sir Martin has, since the foundation of the
company, been involved in collaborative research and experimentation
with Japanese scientists, particularly in the area of condensed matter
physics. He also helped establish the Millennium Science Forum in 1999,
which forum awards the Sir Martin Wood prize every year to outstanding
Japanese scientists.